Careers / Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Structural Iron and Steel Workers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.

Median annual wage

$62,780

United States, 2025

Employment

68,380

United States, 2025

Typical education

Not recorded

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.

O*NET code
47-2221.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
  • Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
  • Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
  • Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
  • Assemble or inspect hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
  • Lift steel beams, girders, or columns using cranes or forklifts, or by signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift or position structural steel members.
  • Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors.
  • Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$44,580
10th
$49,880
25th
$62,780
Median
$82,660
75th
$108,260
90th

10th percentile

$44,580

25th percentile

$49,880

75th percentile

$82,660

90th percentile

$108,260

Most important skills

  • Operation and Control3.5
  • Operations Monitoring3.5
  • Coordination3.4
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Complex Problem Solving2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
  • Speaking2.9
  • Active Learning2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 8 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

8

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Operation and Control3.53.1Not selected3.1
Operations Monitoring3.53.0Not selected3.0
Coordination3.43.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.03.0Not selected3.0
Active Listening3.03.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.02.9Not selected2.9
Judgment and Decision Making3.02.5Not selected2.5

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
MA$120,8402,0502025
Boston, MA$120,8401,3102025
Trenton, NJ$116,360702025
Atlantic City, NJ$114,570302025
NJ$113,2201,0602025
Olympia, WA$111,500402025
Seattle, WA$111,4404502025
San Jose, CA$109,4403302025
WA$107,6608502025
Vallejo, CA$106,9001502025
Vineland, NJ$105,370402025
Philadelphia, PA$103,3308002025
Chicago, IL$102,3502,1202025
New York, NY$102,0602,3002025
IL$101,8502,7402025
Rockford, IL$100,2901902025
La Crosse, WI$100,160402025
HI$99,8602902025
Urban Honolulu, HI$99,8602025
RI$98,3203602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Structural Iron and Steel Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.